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Sunday, November 30, 2014

The
affiliated auto manufacturers Hyundai
Motor Company and Kia Motors are
aiming to triple the number of “fuel-efficient cars” that they have on offering
by 2020, according to recent reports.

The
move is intended as a means of improving the manufacturers’ image and standing
with regard to competitiveness in fuel economy — partly owing to concerns
raised by investors about the fact that Hyundai’s latest Genesis, and Kia’sSoul, have lower fuel mileage
than their predecessors. Also, concerns are partly owing to the relatively
recent $350 million fine received in the US for the overstatement of vehicle
fuel economy.

The
announcement of the recent aims comes only a week or so after the pair also
pledged to increase the fuel
economy of their offerings by 25% by 2020 — to meet emissions regulation
standards in the US, Europe, and South Korea.

The
pair also made the announcement recently that it would buy back 670 billion won
($602 million) worth of shares. This move was reportedly made as a means of
appeasing investors who were angered at a recent $10 billion bid for a piece of
property to be used as a new
headquarters.

As
analyst Yim Eun-young of Samsung Securities, put it: “Investors have complained
about Hyundai’s lack of shareholder-friendly policies and communication about
its vision, especially after the land deal. Today’s announcement seems to be
part of its efforts to soothe shareholders and better communicate with the
market.”

Saturday, November 29, 2014

SEOUL:
Hyundai
Motor and Kia Motors on Monday
raised their target for 2014 global sales to at least 8 million vehicles,
anticipating record-high China sales to offset slowing growth in the United States
and Europe.

The
South Korean automakers, which together rank fifth in global vehicles sales,
said in a statement the new sales target would represent an almost 6 per cent
increase from last year.

Sales
this year will also be boosted by higher numbers from India, Russia and Brazil,
the automakers added.

New
launches and more local manufacturing will help Hyundai and Kia sell more cars in China, the
world's biggest auto market, this year, said Suh Sung-moon, an analyst at Korea
Investment & Securities.

He
said Hyundai was likely
to miss its US sales target for this year on a weaker-than-expected reception
for its new Sonata sedan in its biggest market after China.

In
Europe, Hyundai expects
to see a sales recovery driven by its new i20 model, which will be launched
this month.

Hyundai and Kia had in January set a global sales
target of 7.86 million vehicles for this year.

Friday, November 28, 2014

Four
models in the international Kia range
will feature the company’s new dual-clutch automatic transmission from next
year, according to fan site Kia-World.

The new
seven-speed ‘DCT’ auto, revealed in Geneva earlier this year, is expected to
accommodate petrol models with up to 270Nm of torque, along with diesel models
offering up to 320-330Nm.

The DCT
has long been expected to appear in the European Cee’d hatch and the halo
Pro_Cee’d GT sports hatch (265Nm) already available in Australia in six-speed
manual form.

This
latest report, although citing no official comment from Kia, claims that the upcoming
next-generation Optima
sedan will be the next new model to pick up the advanced auto.

Kia has yet to confirm a launch
date for the new Optima, although TMR’s spy photos of a production-bodied
prototype suggest that a debut in the new year is likely.

The
report adds that the freshly facelifted Rio light hatch will
also pick up the new auto in 2015, although the Australian range has so far
been confirmed with only four- and six-speed conventional torque-converter
autos. Another light update in 2016 could see that change, but we likely won’t
hear word on that in the immediate future.

Lastly,
late in 2015, a “major makeover” for the Sportage will
reportedly also bring a debut for the DCT auto, replacing the six-speed auto
currently offered with the midsized SUV. This, again, has yet to be confirmed
by Kia.

We can
likely expect the new auto to hit more Kia models in the following year,
including the Cerato range and the small Soul crossover hatch, through to the
big new Sorento SUV and Carnival people-mover.

Likewise,
expect the new transmission to appear in Hyundai models over the
coming year.

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Kia has revealed their new KiaSorento
Wolverine, a car based on Wolverine from the X-Men movies (via Motorward). The
car is a promotional device intended to drum up hype for the Blu-ray release of
X-Men: Days of Future Past.

The
KiaSorento Wolverine is based on
the 2016 model Sorento,
with a black paint job, and Wolverine’s signature claws in the front and back.

With
Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman being Australian, Kia will be showing
the car off at the Australian Open, which they are the primary sponsor of.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

(SEOUL)
November 21, 2014 – To celebrate creativity and innovation in music on YouTube,
Kia Motors is once again serving as
the exclusive presenting sponsor of the YouTube Music Awards (YTMAs), in
partnership with YouTube and executive producer VICE Media. The 2013 YouTube
Music Awards was one of the most watched music award events ever with more than
54 million total views and now they are back in a very different way.

This
March, YouTube will recognize and award significant “artists to watch” in 2015
as determined by the fans. For one special day, music
will be the headline act on YouTube, with the biggest and emerging artists
being celebrated through new and unique music video collaborations with top
directors and creators. And fans will be involved in every step along the way,
guiding and creating these videos.

The
YouTube Music Awards are the latest initiative in making YouTube the best place
for artists and fans to connect. People have turned YouTube into the biggest
music service in the world, through music videos, remixes, covers and so much
more across every genre imaginable. The Awards come on the heels of a new music
experience on YouTube
including YouTube Music Key beta that gives fans more ways to enjoy music,
while also giving artists more ways to be discovered and earn more revenue.

"Following
the success of the inaugural YouTube YouTube Music Awards in 2013, we at Kia Motors are thrilled to
continue in our role as the presenting sponsor for this year's event,” said
Soon-Nam Lee, vice president of overseas marketing, Kia Motors Corp. "YouTube is
an ideal platform for connecting today's most innovative artists with a billion
fans around the world, and our ongoing partnership with the YouTube Music
Awards is the perfect place to share Kia’s passion for digital
entertainment and music."

To
kick off the second edition of the YTMAs presented by Kia, big stars and
emerging musicians will be releasing new videos, all of which can be found at
YouTube’s new channel youtube.com/musicawards. Over the next week, fans can
enjoy new videos from GD X TAEYANG and Megan Nicole, in conjunction with some
of the biggest names in music video filmmaking, like Colin Tilley. Fans can
subscribe to youtube.com/musicawards, where further surprises will follow this
December and more news will be announced in January.

For
even more music, fans can go to youtube.com/kiabuzz, which features videos of
surprise live performances (The Shhhow), and breakout stars covering iconic
jams (Re-discovered), all produced by Show Cobra.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Following
its world debut in Paris in September, the all-new KiaSorento
has its US premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Compared
to the Euro-spec model, the 2016 KiaSorento looks exactly the
same, except minor details such as the orange turning signals and questionable
chrome rims and accents - at least on the display model.

Built
in the United States for the local market, the third-generation Sorento crossover is offered
with a standard 185hp 2.4-liter naturally-aspirated inline-4 gasoline engine.
Also available are a new 240hp 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine as
well a 290hp 3.3-liter V6 unit. All three engines are mated to a six-speed
automatic gearbox featuring Sportmatic shifting.

The
2016 KiaSorento will arrive
in U.S. dealerships in first quarter 2015 and will be available in five trim
levels: L, LX, EX, SX and SXL. Depending on trim level, the new CUV comes with
standard 40/20/40 second-row folding five-passenger (4-cylinder models) or
50/50 folding third-row seven-passenger (V6 models) seating configurations.